Siren's Call: Drabble Collection
by desertredwolf
Summary: Magic has a way of cropping up in people's lives, and for Alex Johnson, that is no exception. She might not realize it yet — and she might even try to ignore it — but she is destined for great things. [pre- "Siren's Call: She Stole the Sea"]
1. To Distain All Glittering Gold

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **A/N — This drabble collection is connected to my story,** _ **Siren's Call: She Stole the Sea.**_ **Most of these detail Alex's life before the events in** _ **She Stole the Sea.**_ **All drabbles will be between 100-300 words. The word count listed for each drabble does not include the title and author's notes.**

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 **To Distain All Glittering Gold**

"Smile, honey."

Alex looked up and grimaced. She felt like a doll, all dressed up and with an absurd amount of makeup caked on her face. Her father lowered the camera and gave her a warning look.

"Alex—" he began disapprovingly. She quickly plastered a smile on her face.

"I know, Dad," she replied with forced cheer. Other nine-year-old girls, dressed in similar ballerina outfits, chattered around them. At least _they_ were eager to begin the recital. It wasn't that she hated ballet; she loved the grace and beauty required for the discipline.

She just _hated_ all the glitter and pink. Why she couldn't have done hip-hop was beyond her.

"After the recital," she ventured tentatively, "do you think we can go to the beach?"

The look on his face was answer enough. She was saved a scolding, however, as the dancers were called to line up and walk on stage.

"Right," Alex muttered, following the other girls, "sorry I asked."

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): eager [word count: 162]


	2. Fireflies and Faerie Lights

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **Fireflies and Faerie Lights**

 _She can't be sure if it's a memory or only a dream…_

Her mother was there, and they were catching fireflies together. _(She must have been really little, if her mother was still alive.)_ The warm summer air was bearable since the sun had set, and the world was filled with twinkling lights.

The memory, if it truly was that, was hazy. The more she tried to remember it, the more it slipped away. _(She felt like she was crazy, though, because half of what she remembered was impossible.)_

"Don't blink, Alex," her mother whispered in her ear. _(How could her voice be so clear in a dream?)_ "Don't blink, or you'll miss it!"

She pointed to the center of a cluster of fireflies, and Alex followed her direction. There, in the middle of the glowing insects, was a darting faerie.

And then Alex blinked.

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): blink [word count: 145]


	3. Home

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **Home**

Alex wouldn't ever tell her father, but she was glad that they had moved from Dublin to Doolin — and she could say that with 100 percent sincerity. A city girl living in a one-road costal village? It sounded like the beginning of a bad comedy, but she loved it.

She guessed it was the little things that made her happy.

Their new home was closer to the sea than the one they had in Dublin, but at the same time, it felt further away. The majority of the coastline was composed of towering cliffs. A bit disappointing, but it gave her a good vantage point to try and spot dolphins.

What currently held her interest, though, was the vegetable garden on the side of their house. It wasn't that she liked gardening all that much; it was because of the tiny creatures that lived there.

They looked like lumpy potatoes attached to a small body.

Which, of course, should have been impossible. Strange things always seemed to happen around her, however, and she had learned not to question it too much. She also knew better than to bring it up with her father, who hated anything out of the ordinary.

No, she would keep it to herself. Although, she would have to find a way to get rid of the little creatures, who had taken to laughing at her and hiding among the plants.

They were quickly becoming pests.

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): tiny [word count: 239]


	4. Upon Further Reflection

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **Upon Further Reflection**

 _Maybe the annoying garden potatoes weren't that bad._

Alex stared in horror at the creature in the creek behind their house. It was a horse— well, it was _mostly_ a horse. The creature's hind legs were replaced with a long fish-like tail, that was thrashing in the water. Its glowing red eyes locked onto hers.

It gave her the creeps.

She wanted to run; she wanted to hide. The creature continued to stare at her, and Alex suddenly felt compelled to move forward. Her feet began moving without her permission. Normally, this would have caused her to panic, but she found that she didn't care.

All her worries faded away.

She just wanted to pet the creature. Its mane looked like it was made of bulrushes, and she idly wondered if they were as bristly as they appeared. Maybe, if it was nice, it would allow her to ride it—

 _What am I doing?!_

Blinking rapidly, the world came back in focus. She snatched her hand back — it had been a hair's breadth away from the creature's muzzle. Water sloshed around her legs, as she quickly backpedaled out of the creek. When had she walked into the water? _Why_ had she done it?

The beast thrashed its head. It took a step forward, and Alex began to panic. What if it could survive on land? Would it get her then?

"L-Leave me alone," she whispered. It paused in its advance, and Alex raised her eyebrows in shock. She repeated herself more firmly.

" _Leave me alone!_ "

The creature tilted its head. For one moment, she thought that it almost looked disappointed. Then, the beast sunk into the water and vanished from sight.

A feat, one might say, of magic, as the stream was only a little less than one meter deep.

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): afterthought [word count: 300]


	5. Don't Fear the Night

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **Don't Fear the Night**

Her father loved teaching, and she loved the stars. So, stargazing was an activity they could enjoy together without arguing or fighting.

"We live in one galaxy out of a countless number, Alex," her father would say, every time they pulled out the lawn chairs and telescope. "All the lights in the sky we can see with our eyes alone are stars in the Milky Way — except for the planets and a couple galaxies, like the Andromeda Galaxy, of course."

She would hand him a cup of hot cocoa, and he would set the telescope up for her. It was a comforting routine.

"Don't be afraid of the unknown," he would say, as he leaned back in his chair. He always let her use the telescope first. "There's an infinite universe out there, but that doesn't mean it's scary. Never be afraid, Alex."

Then, like clockwork, Alex would wonder if he would be disappointed to know that sometimes she _was_ scared. There were things that it seemed like she alone could see. The few times she had tried to talk about it with her father, he had become angry and upset. He wouldn't ever listen. She was left alone, trying to figure out if she was in danger or just plain crazy.

 _(She would try to remember the good things, though, like the garden potatoes or the faeries that played with the robins amongst the trees and flowers.)_

She would then look into the telescope and out into the vastness of space, and wish that she could see a little further and be a little braver.

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): exist [word count: 266] (used as a theme for the drabble)

 **A/N — The title was inspired by a couple lines in the poem, "The Old Astronomer" by Sarah Williams. ["Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light / I have loved the stars too truly to be fearful of the night.]**


	6. The Library

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **The Library**

The library — the closest one to her house that did not involve traveling via the ferry — had a nice selection of books inside. It was rather small though, especially when compared to the libraries she was used to in Dublin, and Alex began to feel that her search was pointless before she even started. There probably weren't a lot of books about the subjects she wanted.

She asked for help, leaving the nice librarian a bit perplexed by her request.

"You want _real_ books about magical creatures?" he asked. She anxiously watched as his eyes flickered to the other librarian on staff, who just shrugged in response.

"Uh, not really," Alex quickly amended. "I meant 'real' as in books that describe, um, mythical creatures — but not like, you know, little kid stories."

He gave her a long look, and she smiled up at him, in what she hoped was a charming manner.

"Right," the librarian replied, for some reason sounding skeptical. "Let's see what we can find."

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): pointless [word count: 167]


	7. Stating the Obvious

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **Stating the Obvious**

Alex hadn't said the word out loud yet.

Maybe it was because once she did, it would make everything too real. Which was ridiculous, considering her current predicament and all of the _clearly impossible_ creatures she had seen. _Obviously,_ it was real. It was just that it was one thing to know something instinctively; it was quite another matter, however, to acknowledge it out loud.

She was only ten though — there was also no one she could talk to about all of … _this_ — and things were just getting too weird.

It was time to face the facts.

"Okay," she said to herself, "baby steps, right? Or should I rip it off like a band aid?"

She never imagined that dusting in the spare bedroom would be this problematic. Taking a deep breath, she jumped straight into the deep end.

"I have magic, and I need to learn what to do with it."

The blue faerie-like creature happily gnawing on her forearm seemed to agree with her.

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): step [word count: 167]


	8. A Work in Progress

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **A Work in Progress**

She figured that she could play it off as a creative writing project, if anyone ever found it.

It wasn't a diary. Alex wasn't averse to using the term, but it seemed like it was more than that. Diaries were for writing down what happened during the day and her feelings, right? Well, her _journal_ was going to be that and more. She not only needed to keep track of the magical creatures she saw — including descriptions of where she found them and what their habits were — but also any tidbits of how to use magic.

Besides attracting what seemed like every magical creature in a twenty kilometer radius, she hadn't actually _done_ any magic yet. She needed all the help she could get.

Solve one problem at a time; that's what her dad always said. Alex took a deep breath and looked down at the notebook in front of her. The first thing she had to do was title her journal.

She tapped her pen on the page twice, before writing the first words that came to mind.

 _"Magical Creatures, and Other Weird Things That Happen"_

Tilting her head slightly, she stared at the page and mulled it over. It was definitely a little vague — but it also left room for growth and possibilities. With that as her title, she could literally record whatever she needed to and talk about anything.

It was a start.

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): start [word count: 236]


	9. Practical Magic

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **Practical Magic**

She hated being sick.

Wearily, she sat up on the sofa and reached for her cup of tea on the coffee table. Before her father had disappeared into his study, he had made it for her; but that had been ages ago. It was probably ice cold by now—

Alex froze as her fingers grazed the cup. She felt the chilled liquid through the ceramic. As soon as she picked it up, however, the tea was piping hot. Steam rose from the surface.

 _Did I- Did I just do magic?_

Still not believing what her senses were telling her, she took a tiny sip of the tea and nearly spit it back into the cup. It was too hot! Slowly, a smile spread across her face. The drink had been cold, but now it was _too hot_. She felt like jumping for joy, but that required too much energy.

She could do magic!

Blowing on the tea to cool it slightly, she made a mental note to write the experience in her journal later.

Now it was just the small matter of figuring out how to do magic on purpose.

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): sofa [word count: 190]


	10. Rather Grimm

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **Rather Grimm**

Ever since school had started again, she'd just been going through the motions.

 _Homework. Sleep. Wake up. Eat breakfast. Go to school. Return home. Continue magic research. Then homework and sleep._

 _Rinse and repeat._

The only bright part of her day was magic. The rest of the time, Alex felt as if she was going to die from boredom.

.oOo.

She was milling about with her class at a lookout point along the Cliffs of Moher, twenty minutes south from the school. They were supposed to be conducting science-related experiments on weather and erosion — maybe. Honestly, she hadn't been really listening.

What figuratively had woken her up, though, was the spectral black dog.

It stayed at a distance — never coming close enough to be considered dangerous, but somehow managing to maintain a threatening presence. The dog stalked along the edge of the cliffs, observing the students and chaperones. It watched her most of all; its dark red eyes glowing.

No one else could see it; that much was obvious from their lack of concern.

Alex was on edge the entire day, science projects the last thing on her mind, when the tension finally broke in the late afternoon. They were just about to leave, when two of her classmates were goofing off too close to the ledge. Thankfully, she had been standing close by, mostly because the dog had been lurking near them. She pulled them back — just as a bit of the rocks gave way and fell into the sea, over a hundred meters below.

The phantom dog helped her shepherd the two boys even further away from the cliff. It gave her a sad look that said, _'Why are they so careless?'_

Alex looked back at the dog with gratitude, and watched as it literally melted into the shadows.

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): motion [word count: 300]


	11. It Could Be Worse

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **It Could Be Worse**

She hated bullies.

"Go on!" A lanky, dark-haired boy was holding a toad in Jenny's face. "Give it a kiss!"

School had let out for the day, and Alex had just walked around the corner and stumbled upon the scene before her. A group of boys from her year were tormenting Jenny, the painfully shy and quiet girl in her literature class. She watched as the boys gathered closer around, laughing at and mocking the poor girl; Jenny was clearly terrified.

Her father always told Alex, "Stand up for what's right, no matter the personal cost." So, of course, she had to intervene.

"Stop it! Leave her alone!"

The boys all looked at Alex, clearly upset that someone had interrupted them. Jenny carefully backed away; at a nod from Alex, she took off. The boy holding the toad scowled.

"Well," he said, "if she won't do it, you should!" And with that, he shoved the poor creature into her hands.

All of the boys watched her expectantly, waiting for her to shriek or drop the toad in disgust. Instead, she just rolled her eyes. After everything she had gone through, this was the least unsettling.

Gingerly holding the toad, she gave it a quick peck.

"Ew!" one of the boys shouted. "That's gross! Now you're going to get warts!" The boys all jeered at her.

She frowned — _Do people really still believe that old wives' tale?_ — when inspiration struck.

"Why?" she asked, gently clutching the toad to her chest. "It's not like I kissed any of you!"

She sidestepped around the stunned group of boys — all of whom were clearly trying to still work out her insult — and continued on her way home.

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): toad [word count: 283]


	12. The Library, Part II

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **The Library, Part II**

Groaning in frustration, Alex snapped the book shut.

She had been waiting for this book— _Myths of Ancient Ireland and Britain_ —to be returned for over _two weeks_ and this is all it was? Just some silly nonsense and children's rhymes, mixed in with a few stories that—while she knew them to be somewhat true—she had already read. Now she had to wait another two hours until her father could pick her up again.

What could she do to pass that time—?

"Hello."

Her head snapped up, and she met the amused gaze of the librarian. She grinned sheepishly.

"Not quite what you were hoping for?" he asked. His tone was laid back and casual, and he sat down across the table from her.

Alex shook her head.

"You helped me a lot last time," she replied. "I was so excited to read this book, but it's just—" She trailed off, searching for the right words. He nodded sympathetically.

"You want something more serious?" he prodded. She nodded. "That's quite the tall order for someone your age."

"I _need_ something more serious," Alex muttered under her breath. She must not have been that quiet, though, because the librarian raised his eyebrows at that statement.

"I, uh, need something more serious," she repeated, scrambling for an explanation. "I'll be eleven next month, after all." She smiled, and the librarian tilted his head. He looked as if he was strongly considering his next question before asking it.

"Huh, a November birthday…" he mumbled to himself, before addressing her once again. "Won't there be any books in the school library that you could read, next year?"

Now she was the one confused; she frowned to herself.

"Why would the school have more serious books about mythical creatures?"

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): help [word count: 298]


	13. A Not-So Mysterious Gift

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **A Not-So Mysterious Gift**

It was the night before her eleventh birthday, and Alex knew that there was always a first time for everything. _That_ was nothing new, obviously. Shadow dogs, weird horse-fish creatures in the creek, and faeries in the back garden led to the belief that anything was possible.

Still, she had somehow never expected something as ordinary as a barn owl pecking at her window, while patiently staring at her through the frosted glass.

As soon as Alex opened the way into her bedroom, the large bird—which had been frequently tapping the glass over the last five minutes—hopped across the windowsill and onto the nearby desk. As it did, she noticed a package tied to its leg.

"What have you got there?" she wondered aloud.

Alex removed the package, and the owl ruffled its feathers. It then flew across the room and perched on the nightstand. Barely paying the owl any mind— _I'll worry about it later_ , she thought—Alex opened the parcel. There was a note and a book. She read the message first.

' _I thought that this might be more of use to you than it is to me. Magical creatures are not my cup of tea. I hope you are well, and that you have a good birthday.'_

Alex looked at the book. It had a leather cover and appeared well used, but it was the title that caught her attention. Her heart fluttered in excitement. She quickly scanned through the pages and knew that that this was what she had been looking for all along. In bright gold letters across the front, it proudly stated:

' _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'_ by Newt Scamander

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): frequent [word count: 280]


	14. Strange Things

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **Strange Things**

Alex had a lot to ponder.

The day after her eleventh birthday, her father had woken her up and told her they were going on a trip—to _Scotland_ of all places! No real warning, and no reason given. Just, _"Pack your bags, Alex. We'll be gone for a week. I've already notified the school."_

Thankfully, she had hid the book—the one the owl had brought—beneath a loose floorboard in her room. She didn't want to think about how she would have tried to explain it to her father. Unlike her journal, there was no way she could play that off as fantasy or a creative writing project. There was just something too _real_ about it.

She had quickly packed a bag, then ate a cold breakfast and left.

Their first stop would be in Inverness. They would spend the night there, before moving on to a tiny hamlet further north near the sea. And considering the small village where she lived, if her father said the place they would be staying was "little," Alex was expecting no more than an inn and a few houses.

She had quite a lot to ponder, besides her father's abnormal behavior, of course. There were other things that were just as pressing—like, what if Nessie _really existed_!

Alex had a strange feeling that she shouldn't be so excited about an ancient giant sea monster potentially being real.

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): giant [word count: 237]


	15. The Host

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **The Host**

 _In the end, she wouldn't discover whether or not Loch Ness held a giant monster..._

.oOo.

It stormed all night.

Alex listened to the wind howl and rain lash against the roof and ceiling. Every flash of thunder was followed by a crash of thunder that shook the little inn, in which they were staying. She tried not to panic, and she reminded herself that her father was in the room next to hers.

Nothing bad would happen.

But in her heart, Alex knew that was a lie. If she listened carefully and allowed her mind to wander, she heard the baying of hounds and the screams of battle. Deep in the heart of the storm, she heard the sound of long forgotten nightmares.

Surprisingly, it was something that she had learned in one of the mythology books she had discovered in the library. There had been a lot of nonsense in the text—honestly, she knew what fairies looked like, and those weren't them—but one legend had caught her attention.

It was more fantasy than truth—or so she had thought. The book told of a great Host that roamed the moorlands, stealing souls on an endless hunt. Some say that it was led by the Dead and that they alone controlled the hunting hounds in their mix. The text said that other people believed that the Fae, dark and dangerous, controlled the Host.

Alex huddled further under her blankets. She was glad she was safe inside; she would not be lost to the Wild Hunt.

Not that night, anyway.

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Prompt ( _Original Character Boot Camp — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges_ ): deep [word count: 262]


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